


Breaking the Ice

by Waitivau



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, maybe my next kopatu fic will be kopaka’s kakama lol, subtlety is key folks, this one isn’t explicitly romantic but dang if i’m not trying to imply it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 17:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18855976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waitivau/pseuds/Waitivau
Summary: Kopaka and Pohatu search for the Great Masks in Ko-Wahi. Kopaka doesn't seem to want the company.





	Breaking the Ice

Pohatu trudged through the snowy drifts of the North March, trying to speed up his progress by stepping in the footprints of his icy teammate--A couple bio ahead, Kopaka, white armor almost glowing in the moonlight, hiked through the snow, obviously not having as much trouble as the Toa of Stone.

“Can you do anything about this snow?” Pohatu asked between gasping breaths.

“I don’t want to waste my power reserves on something unnecessary,” Kopaka said without turning back.

“Preventing me from getting lost in the snow is unnecessary?” Pohatu retorted with a laugh.

“You didn’t need to follow me.”

“Gali said we should search for the kanohi in pairs.”

“You didn’t need to follow me,” he repeated.

Pohatu’s smile dropped.

* * *

 

The two walked in silence for a time. Any words Pohatu wanted to say were blown back into his mouth and frozen solid at the bottom of the pit in his stomach. Without a single word, they crossed snowfields, caverns, and mountain ridges. They even passed a matoran outpost marked by little red flags where a trio of Ko-Matoran mended a bridge. They told the pair of toa that a Great Mask was nearby, down the mountain on an island in the center of a frozen lake. The blue and white matoran pointed in its general direction, but Pohatu couldn’t see through the falling snow. He watched Kopaka’s mask glow white for a moment.

“I see it. It’s an Akaku. Thank you, Matoro,” he said, addressing the Matoran. Pohatu smiled at the trio and the pair of toa set off.

As the toa headed down the mountain, Pohatu elbowed Kopaka. “Good thing I’m here, you’ve already got your Akaku!”

Kopaka ignored Pohatu’s comment. Pohatu furrowed his brow.

“Kopaka, do you like me?”

“I don’t dislike you.”

“Then why are you so cold all the time?”

“Toa of Ice.”

Pohatu wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “You know what I mean.”

Kopaka stopped, allowing a few moments to pass before replying.

“Because I work better alone.” He turned to face the Toa of Stone, eyes narrowed. “My turn for a question. Why do you insist on following me everywhere?”

Pohatu almost stumbled backwards under the oppressive glare under Kopaka’s mask of vision. He could have sworn the snow flurry kicked up into a miniature blizzard. He barely managed to sputter out a few words. “I… Sorry. I just…”

Kopaka cut off his stuttering. “Our duty will go far smoother in the future if the toa stay in their own regions of the island.”

“Don’t quote the Virtues if you’re going to ignore the first. The matoran say _unity_ , duty, destiny.”

“Unity is for when we must face things that are greater than one of us. Ko-Wahi is not greater than me. If we all stick together to search for every mask, it will take six times as long. You could be getting your own masks in your Wahi right now.” Kopaka broke the frigid eye contact, turning back down the mountain slope.

Pohatu called after him. “You already have your Akaku. This isn’t your quest. It’s mine, and I can’t handle Ko-Wahi alone.”

The Toa of Ice did not appear to have heard, but stopped in his tracks after a few moments. Pohatu waited a few moments for a retort, but did not receive one. He called out again. “It’s greater than me, but not greater than us.”

Pohatu cursed under his breath as Kopaka began the trek once again, not waiting for the Toa of Stone. He began to consider turning back when he spied the white glow of Kopaka’s blade, and the snowfall quickly faded to almost nothing. A smile melted onto the Toa of Stone’s face as he rushed down the slope towards the Toa of Ice.

* * *

 

“That’s it?” The toa stood some fifty bios away from a large rocky table, almost entirely buried in snow. The sun barely peeking over the horizon lit the snowfield around it with a cool, even light.

Kopaka nodded. “That’s it.”

“Then where’s the lake?” Pohatu stepped forwards, scanning the field, until Kopaka blocked his path with his shield. With his other arm, he slowly raised his now-glowing sword, then slashed downwards. A line spanning the distance between the toa and the “island” erupted, sending powdery snow above their heads in clouds. As it settled, Pohatu saw the icy lake surface revealed from under the layer of snow, as well as a round, dull gray shape sitting by the rocky table; his Akaku. “Oh.”

“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” Kopaka commanded.

“Kopaka, what happened to helping each other?”

“I’m not leaving you alone, I’m helping with something greater than you,” he snapped. “You’re too heavy, you’ll break the ice and sink to the bottom. You’ll drown, if the cold doesn’t get to you first.”

Pohatu wanted to retort, but he knew Kopaka was right. Looking down at his feet, he was already past the edge of the lake, which was beginning to pop and buckle beneath his weight. “Alright. I’ll be here. Be safe,” he said, stepping backwards to solid land.

Kopaka turned back towards the Toa of Stone, locking eyes with him and nodding. He slowly strode forwards, leading the way with his sword. The blade glowed once more, solidifying the ice in front of him as an extra precaution as he began to pick up his pace. He skated gracefully through the clear path to the island, alighting on the stone and shifting the snow until he located the Kanohi. Like Kopaka’s own mask, it was round, with a bulky eyepiece on the right side. Unworn, it matched the stone with its dull gray coloration.

Pohatu watched as Kopaka readied his sword for the return trip across the ice, when a burst of snow behind the white toa caused both Pohatu and Kopaka to jolt in surprise. Pohatu saw the Toa of Ice whip around to face the fearsome muaka that just made itself known. The great cat roared beneath its corrupted mask, rattling even Pohatu from all the way across the lake. It leaped at Kopaka, barely giving him enough time to raise his shield and guard himself. The rahi latched on to the shield, tearing it brutally from Kopaka’s grip and flinging it back onto the ice. The Toa of Ice’s arms flailed as he steadied himself, but the Muaka shot around him and pounced once more, pinning him to the stone ground of the island.

“Kopaka!” The Toa of Stone shouted, knowing he had to act. Without even thinking of the consequences, he bounded a few steps backwards as his Kakama thrummed to life. Calling upon its power of speed, he surged across the lake, his momentum carrying him straight across. He could hear the ice exploding behind him, but kept his focus squarely on the Muaka, about to strike his friend with a fatal claw. With only a couple bios between him and the behemoth, he took two final bounding steps and kicked both of his legs out, slicing through the air as he collided heel-first into the beast’s mask. Both toa and rahi went sprawling to the ground. Pohatu heard the unmistakable pop of ice caving in below him, followed by the horrible chill of sub-zero water.

Before he had even entirely processed what happened, Pohatu heard something plunge into the water after him and felt a pair of arms heave him backwards. He reached cold air once again and coughed up an unpleasant amount of water. He shut his eyes tight and flopped to the ground. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Kopaka, dripping wet, picking up the Muaka’s pitted, cracked mask and snapping it over his knee. Behind the toa on the far side of the lake, the cat sheepishly slunk out of sight.

“Are you alright?” Kopaka tossed the two jagged halves of the mask to the ground and offered Pohatu a hand.

“I think so. Thank you for saving me, Kopaka.” Pohatu took Kopaka’s hand and stood up, steadying himself on the stone outcropping.

“I should be thanking you. That rahi was about to tear me apart. Your mask isn’t the only thing with super speed.”

“What?”

“Like, your mind has super speed. Because that was quick thinking.” Kopaka frowned. “Nevermind. I believe you’ve earned this?” He picked up the gray Akaku and held it out to Pohatu.

Pohatu slipped the Akaku on over his wedge-shaped Kakama. Its dull gray tone shifted to bronze, shining almost gold in the morning sun, as the kanohi’s power surged through him. His vision, while not necessarily poor usually, sharpened noticeably. He willed the eyepiece to focus; he scanned the horizon, gazing in awe across the horizon. He saw Ta-Koro in the distance, and could even pick out individual matoran at the cable car across the Tren Krom Break. Looking back up the mountain, he picked out the red flags of the matoran outpost peeking over the ridge. Then, calling upon the kanohi’s power, he squinted at the ridge itself, and watched as it quickly faded away to reveal the matoran behind it. They had finished repairing the bridge and appeared to be packing up to return to Ko-Koro.

Kopaka’s voice--in a more content tone than usual, Pohatu noticed--brought him back to the lake. “What do you see?”

Pohatu leaned backwards as he forced the mask to zoom back out. “A lot. I can even see those matoran that directed us here! How do you not spend all your time just standing around and looking at things?”

“I got pretty used to it. That isn’t to say I don’t check up on Ko-Koro every so often.”

“That sounds like duty. I mean for fun!”

“Who said it isn’t fun? I enjoy watching people.”

Pohatu mocked incredulity. “Kopaka? Toa of Ice? Enjoying something? I knew it! Scandalous!”

“It’s peaceful!” Kopaka defended. “And it helps me focus on why I do all this. I’m not vying to take down Makuta because the Three Virtues told me to. I’m doing it for the Matoran.

“Here, look up there,” the white toa continued, taking Pohatu’s shoulder and turning him back up the mountain. Pohatu reactivated his new kanohi and found what Kopaka was directing him towards; The trio of matoran, chatting animatedly, reached the crest of a hill. The one in the gray Huna dropped a little toboggan to the ground, and the three of them hopped aboard. The matoran in the blue Akaku kicked off and the trio laughed as they raced down towards Ko-Koro. “I do my duty so the Matoran can live their lives in peace. As far as I’m concerned, we were given our powers for their benefit.”

Pohatu zoomed back out and gazed at Kopaka. The white toa stood almost perfectly still, his eyes moving the tiniest bit to track the matoran and his mouth set in a little smile.


End file.
